On Leadership thinking and Management thinking in Learning and Development teams

"Leadership is about doing the right things ... Management is about doing things right"

Here's my list of L&D leadership and, L&D management thinking:

L&D leads when it:

Helps leaders to understand and engage with the features and benefits of a continuous learning culture;

Defines the role and the priority of learning for the organisation;

Collaborates to agree the capabilities required to execute the business strategy; (not, just individual skills for individual jobs);

Works with team managers to coach and support them to lead and role model a continuous learning culture;

Facilitates new and better connections within and across business teams and functions;

Creates opportunities for the organisation to look outside itself, to grow its networks and to find new ideas and opportunities;

Enables and accelerates new ways for individuals and teams to share their own continuous learning;

Measures success by the quality of its partnerships;

Leads and operate beyond a "business support team" mindset;

Deliberately changes the culture of the organisation and the thinking of the people in it.

I'd argue L&D isn't managing when it:

Creates plans in isolation based on what the organisation does today;

Enjoys its own language and partnerships;

Believes that technology is the centrepiece;

Is grateful for any engagement;

Administrates "the solutions";

Measures and celebrates "visits" and "completions";

Employs "marketing techniques" to seek attention; (without permission or enrolment);

Serves requests that meet demands;

Aims to "please the teacher";

Helps to take responsibility for learning further away from leaders and plans.


Paul helps L&D teams who feel lost in 'Business Support' to start to support the business